Brothers
by HellHathPie986
Summary: The four pirates first met twelve years ago in the East Blue and now after many unforeseeable circumstances they're suddenly united again in some mysterious place. Whether it was luck or some predetermined plan seems to be the first thing that needs sorting out. Spoilers for current chapters and copious amounts of fluff.
1. Coincidental Meeting

Law lay awake in his bed, listening to the rhythmic sound of waves lazily brushing against the side of Doflamingo's ship as the tide continued to rise ever so slowly. The teenage doctor had been in that position for almost four hours now and still gave no sign of being able to fall asleep.

_I'm. So. Bored. _He thought as he glanced at the clock in his room once more. Exactly two in the morning and still no chance of him getting even a wink of sleep. Trafalgar Law stood up and stretched, deciding that maybe raiding the kitchen would solve his problems, so he quietly left his room.

After traversing the hallway as quickly as possible Law easily entered the mess hall and headed for the door leading to his destination. He turned the handle and found the place to be locked, but of course that couldn't stop a hungry teen on the hunt.

This definitely wasn't his first midnight snack run and it seemed the cook was starting to catch onto his antics. But whether the chef knew it was him or not, he couldn't tell.

Law pulled out a few makeshift lock picking tools he had happened to stash in his pocket just before leaving his room and set to work. Without even a minute passing by he was already inside and heading for the refrigerator.

Ten minutes later and he left with a steaming bowl of ramen, making sure to leave the door to the kitchen wide open and reminding himself to watch for the cook's reaction when the man found out his plan hadn't worked. He snickered deviously to himself before deciding to head for the bow of the ship.

They were currently docked at a little island in the East Blue called Goa Kingdom since Doflamingo said he was meeting up with someone there. Law had no idea who, nor did he particularly care. He gave up trying to figure out how far that man's contacts were spread and just focused on learning about the sights he was constantly exposed to. Law walked up to the railing of the ship and leaned against it, continuing to eat his meal and enjoying the warm summer's breeze as it brushed over his bare chest. Suddenly, a larger gust blew past him, tousling his hair around roughly and causing him the close his eyes because of its intensity. Just as he thought it was over, something large and circular flew into his face. Law fell backwards in surprise, dropping his bowl and scattering ramen everywhere.

The teen grumbled lightly, somewhat lamenting the loss of his midnight snack before taking notice to what had been blown in his face. Law picked up the object and examined it, surprised and curious as to why it had been sent from the seemingly unpopulated beach, across the water and onto the ship.

"A straw hat, huh." Trafalgar said, wondering offhandedly if someone on the island was currently missing it.

~0~

Crocodile tears continued to flood from Luffy's eyes as he, Ace, and Sabo trekked down the beach for what seemed like the one hundredth time. The three of them happened to get into trouble yet again with some of the criminals earlier in Grey Terminal and were forced to fight in order to get away. They all escaped without physical injuries, but before any of them could do anything about it, one of the men had snatched the straw hat straight off of Luffy's head and tossed it into the wind.

That man probably wouldn't be able to walk correctly for another few months after Ace and Sabo had finished with him, but that wasn't going to get Luffy his treasure back.

Ace yawned, growing more tired as the boys continued along the ebbing waves, searching for the missing hat.

"You know Luffy, crying isn't going to get your hat back. It's probably making it harder for you to see as well, right?" Sabo mentioned to his younger brother just before he also yawned.

"I'm not crying!" The boy replied as the tears and snot refused to stop trickling from his eyes and nose respectively. They continued on, hopping across some boulders and checking every crack yet again when Ace suddenly spotted something.

"Get down!" He said in a frantic whisper, forcing Sabo and Luffy to duck behind one of the rocks before peering over it.

"What is it?" Sabo asked. Luffy also seemed to calm down at the tone of his brother's voice and looked out in the same direction as the other two. In front of the three was a small dinghy being rowed to shore by a single person. It looked to be from the ship anchored out in the sea but it was mysterious to see only one person out in the dead of night like that. The sight was suspicious indeed, causing Sabo and Ace to come up with a few theories as to whom it might be.

"Maybe it's a convict."

"Maybe it's a drug trafficker."

But Luffy knew exactly what it was.

~0~

After he came back from his room with some proper clothing on, Trafalgar Law had managed to lower his own dinghy into the water and rowed it across the sea but now that he was nearing the shore he wasn't entirely sure where to start his search for the owner of the straw hat. The boat suddenly ran aground and he hopped out before dragging the small dinghy ashore. Law picked up the troublesome hat from the seat he had placed it on and looked out into the darkened island. He remembered there being a city to the left side of the beach he was on and decided to start there when he suddenly heard a shout that sounded suspiciously like "MY HAT!". Just as Law turned towards the noise something hard and fast collided with his stomach, successful knocking him unconscious.

~0~

Luffy's personality had flipped a clear one-eighty before he used his arms like a giant sling shot to launch himself across the beach and straight into the newcomer. Ace and Sabo both felt like shouting out to him how much of a dumbass he was but held their tongues for the time being until they made sure the person Luffy had just collided with wasn't a drug trafficking convict.

The two ten-year-olds approached the crash scene and immediately noticed Luffy contently sitting with his hat back in its proper place, the only problem was that the youngest was currently seated on the unconscious stranger's chest.

Ace and Sabo sighed, relieved that their brother was alright and no longer crying but also peeved at Luffy's constant need to run off whenever he felt like it. The two older kids came up around their little brother and clocked him upside the head before he had a chance to speak.

"OW! What was that for?" The kid asked indignantly.

"This guy just found your favorite hat and you tackled him like he was a bear? !" Ace scolded, slamming a fist into the boy's head again. Luffy covered his throbbing scalp with his hands and looked up at his older brother as he held a few tears of pain at bay.

"I-I'm sorry Ace." The boy said.

"Don't apologize to me, apologize to this guy!" Ace stated, pointing to the one in question. Coughing suddenly came from the teen as his lids fluttered open and Luffy's eyes widened considerably.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou! !" The kid shouted before wrapping his long, rubbery arms around the teenager's neck and burrowing his face into the other's cheek.

"Can't… breathe…"

But the Law's plea for air was lost as Luffy continued to thank him, Ace slapped his palm against his own forehead and Sabo let a nervous smile onto his face.

~0~

Trafalgar Law walked through the forest with Sabo and Ace on either side of him while Luffy sat on his shoulders, resting his head on top of the elder's and peacefully sleeping as Law kept up with the two older children.

"You sure you two are okay?" He asked as he noticed both ten-year-olds swaying from their fatigue again. The three boys had decided to trust Law enough and bring him to their home since he had safely returned Luffy's treasure completely unharmed and didnt seem like a threat even after waking up with a seven-year-old practically suffocating him. Not to mention Ace and Sabo didn't think they could safely climb up the mountain with their youngest brother in tow who was as useful as a dead body when asleep. But the older boys had adamantly refused Law's help when it concerned themselves and had managed to make it a quarter of the way back to their home already.

"No, I'm fine." Ace obviously lied as he yawned once more and tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes. Sabo didn't even reply and Law stared at the blonde skeptically. The eldest waited patiently, counting the boy's steps before reaching out an arm to match the speed of his pace and scooping the kid into his arm. Sabo didn't even react and immediately conked out as soon as he was seated on Trafalgar's hip. Law returned his gaze to the only conscious kid left who didn't even seem to notice his brother was now asleep.

"You want to tell me again how you get back home?" Law asked as Ace tripped over his own feet once more but managed to stay standing.

"Geez, how many times do I have to repeat myself?" The kid asked, yawning heavily before continuing. "First you go straight and look for the tree with orange leaves then take a left."

They had already passed the aforementioned tree which was an enormous thing with brilliantly colored leaves.

"Then you look for the caves, but make sure not to wake Butch, and turn right."

The caves were in the side of a cliff, each one looking to be about fifty feet in diameter. Law hadn't had the pleasure of meeting Butch but he was informed that he was the biggest bird in the entire world and had apparently carried Luffy off several times.

"Next is the purple moss, but don't eat it. Luffy did that once and hallucinated for a week. That's when you take another left."

The four boys did indeed come up to a large felled tree coated in neon purple moss shimmering in the moonlight just as Ace gave that part of the directions.

"And then?" Law asked as they followed the kid's instructions.

"Then you need to cross a giant precipice, but make sure to take the rickety looking bride because the other is just a trap me 'n Sabo thought up to trick trespassers."

Law raised an eyebrow at that and noticed Ace was starting to doze off as he walked.

"And then you go until the glowing yellow flower, right?" Law asked in an attempt to keep the boy awake.

"Yeah." The younger answered as he yawned heavily. "Then a left there, a right at the turquoise pond, across the swamp, and a left at the thirty-fifth tree." The kid finished, bringing up both of his hands and screwing his fists into his bloodshot eyes.

The two continued on for a while before Law had to reach out with his other hand and catch the remaining boy with his empty arm. Ace fidgeted a bit but eventually gave in to his fatigue and was out like a light. The teenager waited a bit, keeping up his original pace and making sure all three boys were asleep before dashing through the thicket looking for the next landmark.

~0~

Law arrived at a woodsy-looking house and kicked the front door a few times since he didn't have a free hand to knock but there was no answer. He considered kicking it down and barging in but decided to look around for some alternative means before resorting to something like that. He noticed in the trees just at the edge of the clearing was a poorly constructed tree house. Trafalgar headed over to it and decided it was better than just dumping the kids off on the front steps and hoping some wild animal didn't decide to walk by and eat them. Law ran at the tree and jumped, bouncing from branch to branch and hopping through the opening, making a soft landing in the middle of the building. When the house didn't threaten to fall apart with their combined weight, he decided it would definitely be a good place to leave the boys. Law looked around and noticed there was already several blankets and pillows as if this was where the kids actually slept. He grinned slightly to himself and set to work putting the boys to bed.

But a hiccup turned up in his plans; when Law tried to pull Ace away and set him down on the floor the boy refused to let go of his shirt. He then tried with Sabo but the same thing occurred. Luffy had had a tight grip around his neck for the past half hour so Law didn't even want to try to futilely pry the kid from his head. Trafalgar sighed and sat down, trying to figure out what to do next. But as soon as he was on the ground something amazing happened; both Ace and Sabo woke up yawning at the same time before noticing each other then groggily looking over at the teenager. Law was about to speak, telling them that they were in (what he assumed to be) their tree house, but the boys completely ignored him and wrapped their arms around his neck, successfully toppling the eldest over. Law layed confused under the combined weight of the two older brothers as his head rested on Luffy's stomach. Just as he thought things couldn't get any worse, the youngest boy stood up, causing Trafalgar's head to smack into the floor beneath him before he felt another weight on his chest. He looked up and noticed the boy had squeezed himself between Ace and Sabo and now all three brothers were contently sleeping on top of him.

_Fantastic._ He sarcastically thought to himself, looking out the window and noticing the first few rays of the sun peaking out over the tree tops. Law sighed and figured the worst thing that could happen back on the ship was a few crew members absentmindedly wondering where their source of entertainment was which would force them to look for something else to torment. The thought made the young doctor crinkle his nose as he thought about his treatment on that ship but when he remembered he could kick the majority of the men's asses into next week he grinned devilishly before yawning and shutting his eyes, relaxing as his fatigue finally caught up with him and falling asleep with the kids still sprawled out on top of him.

~0~

Ace and Sabo slowly awoke, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from their eyes as they slowly became aware of the new day. The boys each looked around the familiar room they were in and noticed that two people were no where to be seen before they heard shouting come from outside the tree house.

"You trespassing pervert! Who the hell are you? !"

"Wait, no! I'm not…"

A loud smash came next and the two kids ran to the window. They looked out to find Dadan waiving around her enormous club at the fleeing Trafalgar Law who still had Luffy wrapped around he neck, sleeping peacefully.

"What did you do to that boy? !"

"I didn't…"

Another smash from the club had a tree toppling over. The two boys looked at each other before dashing out of the window to help their new friend.

"Wait, Dadan!" Sabo and Ace both called together, but the large woman didn't acknowledge them. She raised the club again after cornering Law in between a few trees and brought it down with as much force as she could. Trafalgar caught it before it could make contact with his skull while the ten-year-olds tackled the woman. Dadan and her club were sent tumbling away when the boys managed to crash straight into her. The doctor breathed a sigh of relief as two people who were awake and could actually take his side in order to reassure the crazy woman about his nonthreatening existence finally showed up.

Not even minutes before, Law had been knocking at the door trying to find someone who could remove the child who seemed to have his arms permanently wrapped around his neck but was met with the violent woman accusing him of kidnapping Luffy.

After a while Ace and Sabo managed to talk Dadan out of mutilating the teenager and set to work trying to wake their little brother up.

"Oi, Luffy." Ace said as he poked a finger into his brother's cheek while Law sat on the ground. "Breakfast in ready and Makino brought fresh meat."

At the very mention of food the little boy sprung to attention and quickly dashed from the doctor's shoulders in search of what was served to eat. Luffy sprinted around the clearing as he looked with both his eyes and nose for the promised meal while Law just rubbed his sore neck.

To think it was so easy to wake the kid up…

Trafalgar stood and brushed himself off, watching as the scene in front of him melted from excitement to dismay as the youngest realized he had been duped. Luffy accused his brothers of lying but they easily ignored him and turned to their guest.

"Come on! Let's have breakfast together!" Sabo called out with a big smile on his face while reaching for one of Law's hands.

"Yeah, yeah! With lots of meat!" Luffy stated next, grabbing the teen's other hand and already forgetting all about his anger.

"We'll make something really tasty for you!" Ace said next, coming around behind Trafalgar and pushing him through the door as Sabo and Luffy tugged on his hands. Law stumbled inside the building and was lead to a large table before being roughly seated. The kids then dashed out of the room, arguing over what animal to bring to the table as they ran for the forest, leaving the doctor sitting with a puzzled expression at the dining table. But instead of getting up and leaving for Doflamingo's ship like he had intended when he first woke up this morning, Law grinned and stood, deciding to follow after the boys so he didn't have to awkwardly sit at the table while waiting for them. Just as Law was about to head outside the three came racing back inside with a fresh kill ready to cook up.

The young doctor cocked an eyebrow at the sight but decided not to question it since there seemed to be something distinguishing these kids from normal children the moment he first met them. Law smirked and silently wondered if he might also have siblings like these kids somewhere out in the world.

~0~

AN: this is another story i thought about putting in "Back Story" but i didn't feel like it fit too well so i decided to post it separately :D after all, the idea is too cute to keep locked up in my desktop ;)


	2. Living Back Stories

Whether he was born under the unluckiest star in the universe or had committed some unspeakable crime in a past life and was forced to repent for his sins, he would never know for sure. What the pirate captain did know was that his childhood sucked. Trafalgar Law spent more than a decade aboard the same ship as Donquixote Doflamingo serving as the man's source of entertainment and an emotional plaything, selfishly used for his medical skills and oppressed to the point of questioning his true reason for being alive. Those events repeatedly caused him to lean towards the possibility of just ending his existence since he really didn't have a reason to stick around the world of the living but the doctor had eventually found his drive to breathe. His friends, his crew, the adventure of life and the tides of the sea called to him, willing Law to explore what his time on this planet could show him if he turned to the life of true piracy.

Of course, his escape from the Shichibukai was doomed to fail from the beginning. As soon as Trafalgar had left the madman and found people and things he genuinely cared for they were automatically used against him. Doflamingo now truly had the man under his thumb, threatening Law to follow his absolute command or watch them suffer for his insubordination.

For years he completed secret tasks unbeknownst to his crew, raising his reputation in the underworld to an all-time high in order to keep his friends safe.

But he grew tired of it; tired of fearing his own shadow and tired of the Shichibukai's cruel authority. So Law devised a plan that entailed wiping both Doflamingo off of the map and toppling his entire empire.

The day Law won his war against the man and felt as the burden of the Donquixote family was lifted from his shoulders was one worth more than cheers of happiness and tears of joy; it would be remembered and replayed in his head for as long as he lived. It was a reminder of what he had to look foreword to in the future and that he could never take for granted what he held precious in his life.

~0~

The war in Marineford between Whitebeard and just about every naval officer who could be spared for battle that day would definitely go down in the history books for generations to come with exquisite words depicting the victory of "True Justice" against evil, but what the marines didn't take into account was the resourcefulness of a pirate.

Once born a survivor, always a survivor.

The wounds of being impaled by a molten fist through a person's gut were definitely an accomplishment to patch together, but the driving will of a certain division commander to get back up after healing for nearly two years was nothing to laugh at as well.

Ace stood at a grave sight, grinning endlessly as he stared at his name etched into the stone before him. He couldn't stop reading the words written beneath it, chuckling at the stupid irony of this whole situation.

The only troublesome thing that seemed to transpire from this whole ordeal was the fact that Devil Fruits return to nature and are reincarnated into another piece of fruit when a person dies, regardless if the host is resuscitated or not.

Portgas suddenly laughed out loud, throwing his head back and just taking a moment to enjoy the pure bliss of living, breathing and feeling before being reduced to chuckles as he turned his attention to the stone next to his. The pirate took a few casual steps to the right and stood in front of the gravestone of Edward Newgate, staring in silence a moment but eventually snickering once again. Ace held up the bottle in his hand and popped the top off before tipping the full container sideways and watching as the booze inside ran out of the bottle, trickling to the ground.

"Thanks, Pops." Portgas stated to nothing in particular, hoping the wind would deliver his message safely to the man he was trying to reach.

Just as the last bit of alcohol was about to fall from the bottle, Ace raised it to his lips and drank the rest of it.

"You were the greatest father a guy could ask for."

~0~

If he could regret only one thing in his life it would be leaving his brothers behind without a single explanation or goodbye. Sabo could only imagine the agony Ace and Luffy must have felt if they ever learned of his little fishing boat being blown to smithereens by the Tenryuubito the day he decided to set sail for a life of pirating.

It had been pure luck to have some sort of divine providence on his side that allowed for the blonde to be saved that day. Whether Monkey D. Dragon had been carefully watching the kid's every move the moment he first met him or if the man had been in the right place at the right time Sabo never did find out, but either way the blonde had been saved that day and brought aboard the revolutionary ship.

Several days after the occurrence, the boy had woken to find he was sailing towards the Grand Line and was already too far away from Goa Kingdom to head back on his own. But that wasn't the reason he stayed with the revolution. Sabo saw this as his moment to do something with his life and fight for what was "True Justice" in this world.

The marines' version of the word was so far corrupted and lost that it was apparent even to a child. Dragon had told the boy of his ambition; to create a world everyone could find solace in and as it is now, the planet is nothing but crooked politicians and money-hungry nobles controlling the flow of society.

The very thought of living in a world so sickening and repulsive made the blonde's stomach churn, but the prospect of changing it for the better was what kept Sabo going.

~0~

He always dreamt of big adventures and far-off places filled with nothing but excitement and thrilling journeys, but what Luffy had never really taken into account was who he would spend those experiences with. He always figured he'd find a handful of friends and sail around the world looking for treasure as a pirate captain, but what he never even considered was what kind of impact these people could have on him. Luffy never thought about what friendship truly was when he first set out to the sea and the emotional bond shared between him and the people he met, nor did he take into account how intense and deeply rooted those experiences could get. But then again, no one really knows who they're going to laugh with, who they're going to argue with, joke with, fight for or cry for. No one can ever have enough insight to figure all of that out which is why emotional events are usually taken hard like a kick to the teeth. Luffy always figured there was some kind of unperceivable attachment binding him to just about every other person on this planet, but even that ideology was horribly vague at best.

When Straw Hat had to cope with the death of both of his big brothers these thoughts finally came to light. Friendship was rewarding beyond any doubt but it also brought pain and agony. However, if the pirate learned anything from that statement it was that the painful feeling a person gets when they lose a friend gages how much that lost person meant and if those feelings are strong enough to manifest themselves then the experience was worth it.

Luffy missed his brothers with all of his heart but at the same time he was able to accept that every memory of them was another treasure added to his collection.

But after all of that, one thing that never really hit home with the future pirate king was "family". To Monkey D. Luffy that word just meant a really strong friendship with other people so when he learned one day that he shared a father with another, the saying of "blood relation" never really sunk beneath the first layer of his understanding capabilities.

And let's just recognize that the number of layers an idea has to go through in Luffy's mind before something finally sinks into his thick skull and is completely understood is _very_ long.

Through his adventures on Dressrosa fighting alongside Trafalgar Law, Luffy had been informed by the man he was trying to defeat, Doflamingo, that although he and the pirate doctor were seven years apart their father was Monkey D. Dragon. But Straw Hat hadn't even taken a moment to compute that information; he just accepted it and moved on. However, when the fight was over and he told his crew about the news they immediately got into a frenzy and put ideas into the future pirate king's head about how he should perceive this new event. Luffy pondered those ideas for a few moments, flipping them around in his head and analyzing as best as his mind could about what it takes to be family when he came to the conclusion that it doesn't matter. Even before it was announced that they had the same father, Law was still his friend and that's all that Luffy needed to know.

If they had the same blood running through their veins, so be it. If they got along and helped each other out of dangerous situations, so be it.

~0~

AN: well RoXaS707 it seems i CAN write more for this story xD im pretty sure it's not what anyone was expecting but i decided that if im going to attempt to keep this fanfic as canon as possible then these 4 cannot meet again until sometime in the future. i didnt specify when, just sometime after the punk hazard arc.

and yes, these theories are what allow me to sleep at night ;A; Law has a few quirks and personality traits that are similar to Luffy's (getting mad when eustass kidd wants to take care of the marines outside of the auction house himself, sitting the same in the cage when captured by caesar, not to mention how Law can actually tolerate Luffy without strangling him) so i imagine them as half brothers.  
back in the flashback about Luffy and Ace's childhood after Sabo's boat gets blown up we see Dragon heading onto his ship and his crew members are frenzied over something about their leader being hurt and having a lot of wounds but we never see what and Dragon looks fine a few panels later so maybe he had Sabo in his arms...? maybe im an overly-attached fangirl...? (let's go with both options ;D)  
my theory on Ace is just hopeful wishing though ;~; even if Eiichiro Oda himself came up to me, grabbed my shoulders and shook me violently yelling "ACE IS DEAD. GET OVER IT YOU CRAZY FANGIRL." i would still live my life blissfully thinking he'll come back.

~( ; u;)~ MOCK ME IF YOU WISH, because your ridicule is probably right and might actually make me choose to do my homework instead writing a gazillion fanfics


	3. Meet up

He had always been a closet fan of science fiction novels and usually spent his free time reading their seemingly impossible yet strangely plausible stories when ever he had the chance, but right now Trafalgar Law was really starting to wonder the validity of these supernatural ideas. The captain of the Heart Pirates strode across unfamiliar ground, scanning the area and taking in every sight that he could while also trying to comprehend the physics of his situation. It seemed right now while traversing this strange and unusual place that reality was suspended as the man watched the phenomena happening around him.

Rocks idly floated along air currents, rising and falling as they lazily tumbled around in front of his vision like they were weightless, causing the pirate to swat a few away. The land around him was nearly barren and crusted over with a completely smooth layer of what looked to be igneous rock except for a few oddly colored shrubs dotting the landscape every once in a while. As he walked, Law made sure to avoid them though since several had already tied to snap their jaws at his ankles and sink their knife-like teeth into his flesh. The only other notable feature Trafalgar had taken notice to in this strange environment was the sky which had three bright stars just beginning to dip below the horizon at different levels and causing everything around to be tinted with a blood-red hue.

But as he took all of this into account, Law came to the conclusion that the strangest thing about this abnormal place was how hot he felt. The pirate exhaled deeply as he wiped the sweat dripping from his jaw once again. He had been walking for what felt like an eternity in this scorching heat and decided it was finally time to do something about it. Trafalgar removed his hat and tugged off his black sweater, revealing his washboard abs and his many tattoos before using the piece of clothing to mop up his face and neck. Right now it seemed to the man that he would do anything to be magically transported back to the North Blue instead of walking in this strange place with temperatures that felt worse than a desert.

Something suddenly caught his eye from a distance and Law turned to see what it was. He had to pause and stare at the object for a moment before he realized it was another human being who looked to be currently lying on the ground. The captain didn't even hesitate as he headed over, thinking of what to ask the stranger in order to get some answers as to where exactly he was and how he could get back to his ship. After all, the last thing he remembered before waking up here was sailing along on his journey to search for the One Piece.

When he approached, the pirate noticed that the person in front of him had orange hair styled into a dorky bowl cut and was wearing an expensive-looking tacky green suit. The sight in front of him just screamed for Law to duck out of the scene and the captain was definitely tempted to simply turn around and leave the stranger where he was. He considered just continuing on with his search for either some familiar faces or at least answers as to where he was and how he got transported here, but when the guy suddenly rolled over to face him Trafalgar frowned since his presence had been noticed.

"Th-thank God! I thought I was g-gonna die alone out here!" The stranger stuttered out as his teeth chattered endlessly. Law stared at the young man in confusion, trying to comprehend why this guy was acting as if he was in the middle of a blizzard when Trafalgar suddenly realized the other really was shivering like it was snow swirling around in the air instead of rocks.

This place was definitely way too weird and the pirate came to the logical conclusion he must be hallucinating. Law spun on his heels without a single word and continued walking in another direction. Maybe he'd hit his head while on his ship and was now stuck in some dream…?

"W-wait! D-don't leave me!" The young man called out behind him as the sound of the guy getting up could be heard. "M-my name is Stellard! I-I am the son of a n-noble and you will listen to me!"

Law rolled his eyes and made no move to slow down, wondering what new curse he had brought upon himself for being somehow transported to this senseless place with a money-leech now following after him.

~0~

Luffy sneezed as he rubbed his arms, trying to warm them up even the slightest while he continued to search for his ship. The teenager had gotten lost on numerous occasions, but he decided that this experience would take the cake since he didn't even remember leaving his ship before arriving here.

Was he really so bad with directions that he could travel no where yet still get lost…?

The pirate captain sneezed again, stumbling a bit as he tried to make his near-frozen legs keep their balance while attempting to walk in a straight line. But the task seemed impossible though and the pirate decided he should mostly focus on the shrubs around that were attacking him for no reason. He had already smashed a few of them for trying to bite at his ankles but figured it would be pointless to waste all of his time beating up every single plant he found.

Luffy scanned the area he was in once more, noticing that one of the stars had just disappeared out of sight, leaving two in the sky and causing his surroundings to grow even darker. The pirate realized that soon he wouldn't be able to see anything, but what was worse was that he hadn't even come across a single thing to eat. He considered the vicious plants for dinner for a moment and came to the conclusion that even if they turned out to be gross, something in his stomach was better than nothing in there. The captain was about to deter from his path when something shiny suddenly caught his eye. Luffy stared at the object for less than a second before he recognized exactly what it was.

As if he had just gained all of his energy back, the pirate dashed for the object as fast as he could, stopping only when he was right in front of it.

Lying on the ground was none other than Trafalgar Law's nodachi which could only mean one thing.

"TORAO! WHERE ARE YOU? ?" The pirate called out as loud as he could, hoping the other captain would hear him and also eager to find out if the man had anything to eat with him. Silence followed his shout and Luffy huffed in agitation. He quickly bent over, picked up the sword and darted out through the landscape.

~0~

Ace flicked a rock and watched as it sailed through the air, colliding with another and sending both off in different directions.

_Cool._ He thought as he continued along the smooth, black ground looking for someone to give him directions. No matter how many times the pirate tapped on the glass of his eternal pose the needle still spun in circles, informing the pirate he should travel everywhere at once.

It wasn't very helpful.

Ace suddenly heard something, stopping in his tracks and waiting for whatever was making noise to come into view. It sounded like someone calling out a name, but the division commander couldn't put a face to anyone named "Torao". However, before he was able to pinpoint where the voice was coming from something collided with him and sent the pirate sprawling to the ground. Portgas tried to sit up, clasping a hand to the top of his head as it throbbed from smacking into the ground harshly but found that he couldn't since something was lying on top of him.

The pirate looked up and found familiar owlish eyes staring at him with a scar adorned underneath the left one.

The division commander felt like he could shout, dance and cry all at the same time when he realized he was staring into the eyes of his bumbling baby brother.

"Ace?" Luffy asked as if trying to discern whether this was a dream or reality. "Is it really you?"

Portgas cocked an eyebrow at the other's doubt and sat up, forcing the teen to move with him before he grinned deviously and wrapped an arm around the younger pirate's neck, successfully putting him in a chokehold, driving a fist into the top of the teen's head and giving his brother a loving yet painful noogie.

"Who else could it be, stupid?" The elder asked, chuckling as Luffy attempted to push him away.

"You bastard, that hurts!" Luffy stated indignantly, elbowing his brother in the stomach. Ace gasped from the attack and let the younger go only to be engulfed in a chokehold of his own when the other pirate wrapped his arms around the man's neck. Portgas glanced down at the teen and smirked before also enveloping his little brother in his arms. Ace expected Luffy to continue insulting him or something along those lines but was caught off guard from what he heard.

"You're not allowed to die. Never again."

Ace tensed at what he heard, finally feeling the impact of his two year absence come crashing down onto his shoulders, but what he really hadn't expected was for his little brother to start shaking.

"Oi, Luffy. You're not going to start crying are you?" The man asked as he pushed the younger away in order to look straight at him. But what he saw wasn't tears running down the other pirate's cheeks, instead the Straw Hat captain looked as if he had been somewhere with the temperature dipping well below freezing for the past few hours.

"N-no! I-it's just s-so cold!" Luffy replied through chattering teeth. Ace raised an eyebrow, wondering how his brother could be so cold when he felt completely fine.

~0~

"Since you're not using your jacket just let me wear it. It's so c-cold here, I don't know how you could p-possibly go without it."

Law frowned even deeper as the nobility walking beside him continued insisting on speaking to him. The pirate was fed up with telling the ignorant idiot to shut up and found ignoring him was the best course of action to take. But even that could only work for so long before the dumbass started talking to himself like he was having an actual conversation. If he wasn't so overheated the pirate captain would gladly pick up his pace and leave the nobility in the dust, but even as the second star in the sky began dipping behind the horizon the temperature outside still felt like it was over one hundred degrees.

Trafalgar wiped the sweat from his brow again and kept moving foreword, trying his best not to beat the dumbass next to him senselessly as he kept rambling on. But all of a sudden a very loud shout came from off to the side of Law and Stellard which caused both to turn their heads and see two figures jogging up to them. The pirate instantly recognized the shorter as Monkey D. Luffy and the taller as…

Portgas D. Ace?

_I really must be delusional._ The pirate thought as the two continued to get closer. But as they approached Trafalgar had no doubts it was the second division commander of the Whitebeard pirates running next to the captain of the Straw Hats and he came to the conclusion that he _really_ needed to wake up from this bizarre dream.

Just as that thought ran through his mind, a certain four-hundred million bounty came barreling into the pirate's stomach, sending him crashing to the ground before he could do anything about it.

"Torao! I found you!" The teen called out as if the action wasn't obvious. Law coughed a few times in acknowledgment and was about ready to shove the other pirate off of himself when he suddenly realized that the younger felt like a bag of ice laying on top of him. It felt fairly refreshing, but nevertheless, it was still weird.

"Get up." Law stated firmly. He didn't really expect the command to go through his little brother's thick skull and when Luffy didn't budge he wasn't surprised.

"But you're so warm! It's like Chopper but better." The younger captain replied as he still didn't move. Law huffed a sigh and decided to try negotiating.

"Take my sweater if you want it just get off of me."

Luffy thought the suggestion over for a bit and eventually complied, climbing off of the man and snagging the offered clothing from his hand. When the pirate pulled the garment over his head it was obviously too big for him, but the sweater quickly began performing its job and the younger captain was content. Law stood also, immediately feeling the heat return to his body as he wiped the sweat from his forehead again.

"Oh, I see. So you'll g-give the plebeian your c-coat and n-not me?"

Trafalgar's frown deepened slightly at the comment from Stellard but he decided to continue ignoring the other before returning his attention to the more bearable mirages in front of him.

"What's a pleebene?" Luffy asked openly with blank stare as he jammed his pinky up his nose. Law had no interest in educating the un-teachable and glanced over to see Portgas D. Ace also shared the same mindset too as the other pirate casually looked away.

Whether these three were a figment of his imagination or not, Trafalgar really couldn't decide but the fact that Straw Hat had just rammed straight into his gut was making it seem like Stellard, Ace, and Luffy were all very real. Of course that only opened up a million more questions that Law was sure he wouldn't have answered any time soon. But just as Trafalgar was preparing to ask a few basic questions to get everyone on the same page about where they were and such, Stellard opened his mouth again.

"A _plebeian_ is nothing more than common trash. Riff-raff in the presence of any esteemed member of society like myse…" The annoying nobility was suddenly cut off from his train of thought as a rubbery fist smashed into his nose. Stellard fell to the ground, writhing in pain and calling out a few curses at the teen who had just struck him. The three pirates watched the spectacle with fascination.

"How hard did you even hit the guy, Luffy?" Ace asked out of curiosity. Instead of replying, Straw Hat struck his brother with approximately the same force but the outcome left the elder pirate staring speechlessly at what he considered to be a love-tap. Ace burst into laughter, causing Stellard's face to flush to an even darker shade of red to match the blood trickling from his nose when he thought Portgas was laughing at him.

"How dare you mock me, you lowlife! As soon as I reach a Den-Den Mushi I'm calling the authorities and having all of you arrested!"

Trafalgar rolled his eyes, finally fed up with the other's belittling comments and overall infuriating personality. He strolled over to the nobility lying on the ground and shot out a hand, grabbing Stellard by the collar of his dress shirt, hauling the young man up and pulling him close to his angry features before speaking.

"Open your mouth one more time and you'll regret having followed me." The captain threatened, cracking the knuckles of his free hand to convey the message of how tempted he was to knock a few of the noble's teeth out right then and there. But before he had the chance, a new voice called out.

"Wait, please don't."

None of the guys recognized who spoke and all four of them turned to find another young man with curly blonde hair standing just a few yards away.

Ace's features lit up first, instantly recognizing the stranger but unable to move as joy overwhelmed his every thought. Luffy's expression brightened not even a moment later but his legs instantly kicked into gear, causing the pirate to go sprinting at top speed straight towards his long lost brother.

Sabo didn't even flinch as he accepted the over-enthusiastic hug with his little brother tackling him to the ground. He coughed a few times after having the wind knocked from his lungs but wasn't able to recover as another set of hands reached underneath his arms and hauled him, along with Luffy, to his feet. The blonde instantly recognized them belonging to his elder brother as Ace stood behind him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and placing the other on top of his head before messing up his curly hair even more than it already was.

Twelve years or eons could have passed, but either way it was much too long.

~0~

AN: i always wanted to read a fanfic where all 5 of these guys were united together and it seems i havent looked hard enough or there arent any, but either way in this fic Law, Ace, Sabo, Stelly and Luffy shall be together.  
(Stelly is the annoying little noble kid Sabo's parents adopted. dont ask me why, i just want him in here [and no, his name probably isnt Stellard. i just thought he should have a "grown up" name as well])


	4. Introductions

Trafalgar Law inspected his nodachi, somewhat amazed that it had managed to travel to the same place he was now in. As he scanned the blade and scabbard the pirate deemed that his weapon was still in good condition and sheathed it once again before glancing up at the others around. Ace, Sabo and Luffy hadn't stopped remarking on how amazing it was that they were together again like "old times" while Stellard just stood shivering a few feet away from the pirate doctor. The nobility continued to mutter things under his breath, complaining about how cold it was and quietly insulting the four of them with degrading names. Law just rolled his eyes and tried his best to pay little mind to the pompous idiot. But even that simple task turned out to be impossible.

"If you three over there wouldn't m-mind I'd like to find some sort of shelter rather soon since the last s-star is now dipping below the horizon." Stellard said in a mildly irritated and massively patronizing tone. Sabo glanced over at the most annoying of the five and raised an eyebrow before slowly letting a long breath out from his nose. He seemed to be the only one willing to pay the nobility any mind at the moment though since both Ace and Luffy completely disregarded what Stellard said while Law continued refusing to physically acknowledge him. Sabo turned to his long time brothers again only to see the two had managed to already entertain themselves.

Ace and Luffy were now tussling with each other in a long awaited battle of strength. The blonde smirked amusedly as Ace stood behind Luffy with his arms wrapped around the other's, inhibiting movement and causing several threats to come from the younger. He wanted to join in with the two but unfortunately another matter needed to be attended to. Sabo strode over his adoptive brother, brushing a few floating rocks aside before stopping just in front of the nobility and addressing him.

"I'd appreciate it if you kept your insults to yourself. Whether you like it or not, we're all stuck here and we need to work together in order to get out. Understand?" He fixed Stellard with the most authoritative glare he could, hoping the younger would realize how much of a pain he was being.

"Who do you think you are t-telling me what to do, you ingrate?" The nobility replied. Obviously Sabo's attempt to reason with logic had failed. "I have no need to l-listen to deserting traitors. Don't even begin to think you have any c-control over me you pathetic, lowlife…" But before Stellard had a chance to finish his bitch-rant, Law drew his nodachi and held the blade against the nobility's throat. The annoying young man instantly fell silent when he realized no one was around to help him out of this mess. He swallowed heavily, waiting for his fate.

"I'd advise you to bite your egotistical tongue for a while before you choke on all of the bullshit spewing from your mouth." Law stated menacingly. A pit dropped in Stellard's gut and he instantly nodded his head up and down, eager to get the sharp weapon away from his neck. The pirate doctor withdrew his sword and sheathed it slowly, conveying the message that he wouldn't hesitate to pull it out once more. But just as Sabo thought this tension in the air would continue to grow thicker, Ace and Luffy came barreling right into the middle of things.

"Wow Ace! You sure have gotten weak over these years! I guess I'm going to have to pull your ass out of a lot of dangerous situations in the future, just like when we were kids!" Luffy called out as he locked hands with his older brother and pushed against them with all of his might, trying to get the other pirate to go stumbling back.

"Are you kidding? ! As I recall you were always the dumbass falling for traps and nearly getting yourself killed at least ten times a day!" The elder pirate replied indignantly as he also pushed against his brother. The two battled it out until they were red in the face from exertion, or at least until Law came up on either side of them and clocked each one over the head with his fists.

"Let's save the sappy reunions for later. Right now I'd like to focus on getting out of this place." Law said as he wiped the sweat from his brow once more. Both Ace and Luffy gripped the sore spot where the eldest had struck them but made no move to begin sparring again. They all seemed to be in agreement about that fact but one thing had to get out of the way first.

"Who are you anyways?" Ace asked as he stood straight and massaged the bump forming on his head. The second division commander then turned to Stellard and also addressed him. "And this guy over here. Who's he?"

"Oh! I totally forgot!" Luffy announced as he switched from pouting over being struck to happy and excited. The pirate quickly dashed over to the taller of the two in question and eagerly stood next to him. "This is my big brother, Torao!" The youngest captain stated as he stuck a thumb in Law's direction. The doctor narrowed his eyes at his little brother but let the highly informal introduction slide.

"Brother?" Ace asked, his eyes giving away how skeptical he was.

"In name only." Law clarified when both Sabo and Ace stared at him like he was some kind of mythical creature. "As it turns out, Mr. Straw Hat and I share the same father. That is all." The doctor said. He was content with leaving things at that until he remembered something rather important; "And the name's Trafalgar Law."

Sabo and Ace nodded and seemed ready to accept the idea, but were hesitant for now. Law didn't blame them though since he seemed to have materialized out of nowhere for the two. In their place, Law would also be doubtful.

Ace decided to roll with the twist in this strange plot and turned to the other stranger he'd addressed, but before he had a chance to speak, Sabo stepped in.

"His name's Stelly. My parents adopted him after I ran away back when I was a kid." The blonde stated as he walked over to the nobility. Sabo stopped when he was standing next to his adoptive brother and heaved a sigh. "I know he's a pain but please bear with him until we get out of here." He requested earnestly to the others. Stellard huffed in agitation at the nickname.

"Th-That's _Stellard_ to you, dimwit." He asserted. Sabo just glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, his expression giving away how much he wished the idiot would just shut up. However, the blonde decided to give up butting heads with his hubris younger brother and turned to his newly acquainted friend.

Or should he say family member…?

"My name's Sabo." He introduced to Law, extending a hand and waiting for the other man to return the greeting. The pirate doctor did and they shook, a polite smile on each of their faces. "And if it's true about you being Luffy's older brother, then I guess the same goes for me and Ace." The blonde supposed as he chuckled lightly. Law raised an eyebrow at the very suggestion, going over in his mind how much of a pain it already was to have _one_ sibling, let alone three. Trafalgar grimaced internally but said nothing in return, only wiping a hand across his forehead as more perspiration began running down his temples. As time wore on, it seemed to be getting hotter for the pirate and Law was ready to find a way out of this place.

"Well, now that that's out of the way what do we do?" Ace asked, glancing around the area while squinting as if it would help him see in the twilight.

"Let's look for a restaurant! I'm starving!" Luffy replied, his stomach seconding the notion with a loud gurgle. Just as the second division commander was about to ask his youngest brother where they could possibly find anything like that in this place something unexpected happened. The rocks that were drifting through the air momentarily ceased their movement before dropping to the ground, clattering around until they were still. Ace glanced over at Sabo, confusion evident in his expression. But even then he wasn't given the chance to ask what was going on when Portgas suddenly heard rasping breath next to him. He turned away from his younger brother to see Law gripping his chest as sweat ran down his jaw and dripped to the ground.

"Hey, what's going on?" The pirate asked, facing the eldest fully and placing his hands on Law's shoulders. But as soon as Ace made contact with the other's skin he recoiled, removing his hands and inspecting them for burns. Trafalgar collapsed to his knees shortly after, dropping his nodachi and hat while trying his best to breathe.

"Luffy, hey Luffy! What's wrong?" Sabo called out behind the division commander. Ace swiveled his head to find the youngest pirate curled up on the floor and shaking uncontrollably.

Portgas swallowed nervously, only turning his attention back to Law when he felt something gripping his shorts. He was met the gaze of the pirate doctor looking up at him with flushed cheeks as well as a strained expression and the sight only made him more panicked.

"Straw Hat… bring him here." Trafalgar requested in a whispered tone. Ace complied immediately and dashed over to his little brother, taking Luffy into his arms then quickly returning. He felt a shiver run down his spine when he came into contact with his brother though, noticing the other pirate felt colder than ice. Sabo followed after and when the three approached Law he maneuvered himself to sit with his legs crossed before holding his arms out. Ace understood instantly and handed the teenager over, placing Luffy in the pirate doctor's lap and hoping for the best.

Law hissed as the frozen captain came into contact with his burning skin but stayed where he was, waiting for the relief of having something akin to an oversized ice pack against his chest. The effect was instant, causing Straw Hat to calm his shivering and Law's breathing to return to normal. Their core temperatures seemed to be counteracting one another and bringing each pirate to constant level with neither being overly hot or deathly cold.

"This place is way too weird." Ace commented as he let out a breath of relief.

"You're telling me." Law stated offhandedly.

"Have we found a restaurant yet?"

Sabo, Ace and Law collectively groaned in agitation.

~0~

AN: have i ever mentioned my guilty pleasures? because right now they involve writing for "Brothers" and "Unexpected Encounters" :3  
and yes, this degree is about as much yaoi/smut/slash/wild fangirl fantasies that i'm going to write for a fanfic that didnt have an "M" rating or warning in the description the moment i published it.


	5. Price

The oddest sibling reunion made their way through the strange new place, keeping an eye out for some sort of shelter or maybe even some kind of end to the eternal flat terrain and possibly even a way out of this place.

Of course, two out of the five were hoping for something else.

"I'm. So. Hungry." Stellard announced for the fourth time in ten minutes.

"Me too!" Luffy wined again directly after the nobility's proclamation.

"And it's too. Damn. Cold."

Every few minutes, Stellard found it absolutely necessary to relay the status of his empty stomach and shivering arms and during that time Law, Ace and Sabo were finding it much more difficult to hold back from strangling the young man. It only made it worse that Luffy would play along and the three eldest weren't entirely sure at this moment if they'd be able to handle having two idiots in the group much longer.

Silence fell over the boys once more and the ones not spending their energy complaining cherished the moments. Law was carrying Luffy on his back with his hands tucked underneath the other for support and the younger's arms draped lifelessly over his shoulders in a show of complete exhaustion from the lack of food. The eldest had already warned his younger brother to quit his bitching or he wouldn't carry him but Luffy somehow saw straight through that plan and pointed out that if Law didn't then he would also suffer.

The two had found out that the longer they were separated, the more their body temperatures varied and only when they were somehow in contact with each other did they feel normal. So instead of linking arms or holding hands, Law offered to carry the younger and Luffy was only extremely excited to accept.

Of course, this also caused complications and jealousy to arise from one of the group members.

"Straw Hat, I believe it's my turn now. Y-you've been riding on the back of that pirate for the past half hour and it's only fair that w-we switch." Stellard announced in a poor attempt at an authoritative voice. Luffy, however, paid the nobility no mind when something suddenly came up in his thoughts.

"Hey, Torao?" The youngest pirate began, lifting his head to rest his chin on his brother's shoulder.

"Yeah?" Law replied as he continued with his pace.

"Straw Hat, you will pay attention to me…"

"This feels really familiar, like, I dunno, we've done this before." Luffy continued as his brain tried its best to think. The exertion was becoming apparent on the pirate's face, but only slightly so Law saw this as his chance to quickly have a halfway intelligent conversation with the other captain. But when he thought over what his brother had mentioned, it also sparked a small memory in the back of his mind as well.

"Now that you mention it, this does seem like it's happened before." The doctor realized as he tried to pinpoint exactly what he was attempting to remember.

"Straw Hat, it's time that you get off…"

"Hey, yeah. You're right Luffy." Ace announced as he also had a lingering feeling of déjà vu.

"You guys too? I thought it was just me." Sabo stated as well. "Do you think we're all trying to remember the same thing?"

The four glanced between each other but no one could figure out what exactly was making them think that they were missing something.

"Straw Hat! It's my turn to ride on the pirate!" The nobility suddenly burst out, his face turning a darker shade of pink when he wasn't getting what he wanted. Stellard had wandered closer to Luffy and Law which also put him in the perfect striking distance for Ace and without a second thought the division commander clocked the other upside the head with his fist. Stellard stumbled a bit and fell to his knees, calling out a few profanities as he continued to grow more agitated.

"That pirate has a name, Twitchy."

Stellard looked up at the man who had struck him, genuinely horrified at what the other just said and did.

"H-how dare you mock me! M-my father will hear about this!" He announced in an attempt to scare the other. Of course it didn't work and only served to earn the nobility another fist sent straight for his nose. However, before Ace had a chance to break it, Sabo caught the attack in one hand as Stellard cowered in fear. Ace glared at Sabo but after several moments he silently consented and lowered his attack, taking numerous steps away from the annoying nobility and continuing to walk so he wouldn't be too tempted to repeat his actions. The revolutionary then tugged off his black trench coat and tossed it at his adoptive brother who caught it in a heap.

"Take it and quit annoying my brothers." He stated before walking away, hurrying to catch up with Law, Ace and Luffy.

Stellard sat there for a moment, watching as the four walked ahead and causing him to wonder internally what made them so different from him. Sure, they were low-class wretches and not worth much more than the gum stuck to the bottom of some vagabond's shoe, but that didn't seem to be a correct assessment. Ever since he was little he remembered being taught that nobility ruled the world and that a person could only be happy if they could afford to be. But as he looked ahead now, that statement seemed to be the furthest thing from the truth. It seemed to Stellard that these four were worthless in the fact that a price tag couldn't be hung on their lowly heads since they'd only be chucked straight into the give-away bin because none of them had a steady wealthy income or a name highly regarded amongst the nobility class, but that didn't matter. What mattered was how they carried themselves and that out in the real world in real life occurrences they could be stripped to nothing and still face the world as if they had everything.

A price tag could never even begin to describe that characteristic and as those four continued on, Stellard found that deep down he wished to find out how they were so brave and strong willed in situations where they had nothing of socially accepted price value to rely on.

The nobility stood, pulling his hands through the sleeves of Sabo's coat before rushing as fast as he could to catch up with the others.


	6. Hearts Kingdom

"What do you think it is…?"

"It's pretty damned obvious that it's a door, Luffy."

"Yeah, but where do you think it leads to?"

"I'm pretty sure that none of us knows the answer to that, maybe one of us should open it."

"I vote Twitchy."

"What? !"

The group stood in front of a beaten up wooden door standing on its own that didn't have so much as a frame around it. Ace had walked around the thing three times, trying his best to figure out what was suspending it since it was about an inch off the ground as if it were held up by hinges. As he wandered around once again, the man shrugged his shoulders and stood next to the four who were contemplating what to do next.

"We should open it!" Luffy announced as he hopped off of Law's back. The eldest captain didn't even bother protesting since Straw Hat would be back over in a few minutes anyways.

"Wait, we don't know if this is a trap." Sabo called out as he grabbed his younger brother's shoulder. Luffy turned to him and frowned with a pouting expression.

"You sure have gotten boring over these years." The captain uttered quietly, folding his arms as he felt the coldness slowly overtaking him once more.

"Like I said earlier," Ace interrupted, "why not have the unnecessary group member lead the way?" The division commander walked around his brothers and placed his hands on Stellard's shoulders before gently pushing him towards the unfamiliar door.

"Wait, no! Hold on!" The nobility shouted as he tried to free himself from Fire Fist's grasp. Ace paused right in front of it and waited, hoping the nobility would suddenly gain some amount of courage or curiosity and open it. However, Stellard only stood still as he shook like a leaf on a tree.

Sabo rolled his eyes as his older brother insisted on tormenting the carrot top. He then walked over and placed a hand on the knob, hesitating as he waited for anything unpleasant to happen before trying to open it. Ace let go of the nobility and Stellard immediately ran behind his adoptive brother, glancing over the blonde's shoulder as he waited for him to do something.

"Here goes nothing." The revolutionary said just before pushing on the handle. The five braced themselves for what was to come only to be met with nothing. The door stood stationary, not budging an inch. Sabo then tried pulling but, again, it didn't open.

"Maybe you should try twisting the knob." Law stated when the other four began glancing between themselves. The theory made no sense since there seemed to be nothing holding the door in place but considering their current environment, Sabo couldn't think of a valid argument against the suggestion. Without any further adieu, the blonde twisted the handle and pushed the door open, revealing an unlit room that was completely black. Ace, Sabo and Law all peaked inside, trying to find any sort of landmark but turned up with nothing. Just as they were about to turn back and consult with the group, a large force suddenly slammed into them.

"Let's go!" Luffy called out as he shoved the four through the threshold and hopped in himself. Stellard screamed in horror, Sabo shouted in surprise, Ace called out in shock and Law yelled at the youngest for being a pea-brained moron while Luffy just hollered with excitement as the five were sent tumbling into unknown territory.

~0~

Law woke with a start, raising his head from where it had been resting against his knuckles as his elbow was propped against the armrest of a chair he was sitting in. The pirate captain glanced around, noticing he was, yet again, waking up in an unfamiliar place as he scanned the area and deemed that it was probably even a different country from the one he had just been at.

Well, more like a different dimension.

The doctor stared wide-eyed at his surroundings, noticing the place he was in was probably suited for a king of some prosperous land. Law took a mental note of all of the gilded fixtures and elegant tapestries in the extensive room, attempting to soak in every detail only to stop when someone next to him spoke up.

"Was I boring you that much, my lord?"

Trafalgar glanced over his shoulder and noticed a beautiful woman sitting in a throne as regal and decorated as the one he was seated in. She had long, wavy strawberry-blonde hair and freckles dusting her cheeks but Law couldn't put a name to her face as he continued to stare in bewilderment.

"Uh, no. I…" The pirate doctor quickly looked away, not entirely sure what was going on. He suddenly caught a glimpse at what he was wearing and was thrown further into question. Trafalgar tugged at his shirt in order to get a better view of it and noticed it was made of silk with precious gems for buttons. He was also wearing a very large, expensive looking robe made from some exotic beast and as his curiosity got the better of him, the man lifted his hands and felt above his head. As he suspected there was indeed some sort of jeweled crown on top and Law just sat in puzzlement as he tried to wrap his mind around the fact that he was now apparently the ruler of some unknown land.

A light chuckle came from the woman next to him as she leaned over in his direction. She placed her hand against his cheek in order to tilt the doctor's head towards her before pecking a quick kiss on his lips.

"Don't worry, my love. The festivities shall be starting soon." The woman stated with a smile whereas Law just gawked at her like she'd grown a third eye.

As promised, the sounds of trumpets reverberated off of the cathedral ceilings and the pirate turned his attention to the oversized entrance in front of him. Marching down the long corridor towards him and the woman sitting next to him was a procession of men all wearing elegantly decorated costumes while they played their horns. Law sat in confusion but as they drew closer he became even more perplexed. The pirate captain pulled himself to the end of his seat, trying to get a better view as he recognized a few of the trumpeters.

Marching towards him looked to be Shachi, Penguin, Sanji, and Usopp among many other faces that were fairly recognizable. However, the greatest shock happened when the trumpeters split up their lines as they directed half of their group to one side of the thrones and the other half to the other side. Law's jaw practically hit the floor when the main performers were revealed, exposing Portgas D. Ace dressed in nothing but parachute pants and golden bracelets. There were other entertainers behind the welcoming committee as well but right now Trafalgar's attention was only for the division commander as he returned the same deer-in-the-headlights stare to the pirate seated in front of him.

~0~

"Father! Father, are you in there?"

Sabo blinked a few times, sitting up in his large chair as another knock came to the door.

"Father Sabo! We wish to hear more stories today!"

The revolutionary furrowed his brows, confused at what'd just been said from what sounded like a small child. The young man stood to go open the door but was distracted from crossing the room when he suddenly took notice to what he was wearing. Sabo blinked in confusion at his dark sleeves, wondering when he'd put his trench coat back on until he realized that that wasn't exactly true.

The blonde stared in mystification down at the long clerical robes he was wearing before quickly glancing up at his surroundings. Sabo stared in wonderment at the study he was in, gaping at the large stain glass windows before his eyes fell on a grand piano in the corner of the room.

More knocking came from the door and the young man pulled himself from his thoughts before heading towards the door. When he opened it, Sabo was met with three young boys who all looked eager to see him. But before he managed to say any sort of greeting they attacked him, wrapping their short arms around his waist as they called out in happiness.

"Father Sabo! Tell us more stories! And make them wild and ridiculous this time because those ones are the best!"

The revolutionary raised an eyebrow at the request.

"Please excuse them, Father. They're always so rowdy." Another voice chimed somewhat softly from inside the chapel. Sabo looked out to the pews and noticed a pale young girl sitting and smiling at him. "Onion, Carrot, Pepper; come on. The Father is a very busy man and we're probably disturbing his work." She said as she began to stand up.

"Aw, Kaya! You're no fun!" One of the boys whined with a pout on his lips. Sabo blinked a few times but softened his gaze, chuckling lightly.

"You know, she's right." The revolutionary stated. "You just caught me in the middle of something important. In fact, it might be something you can help me out with."

The three boys' eyes lit up at the prospects of aiding the clergyman.

"Of course, Father!"

"Yeah, we'll help with anything!"

"Tell us, what do you need?"

The blonde smirked, feeling somewhat bad for using the children for information only but knew he needed the help.

"I'm looking for some people and I was hoping that you three might know them." Sabo began, kneeling down to look the kids in their eyes. "Have you have heard of a man named Portgas D. Ace?"

The boys stood puzzling their minds for a moment before glancing between each other then shaking their heads at the minister.

That ruled out one of his brothers.

"What about a guy named Monkey D. Luffy. Does his name ring any bells?" The blonde asked next, hoping for an affirmation. But again, the kids shook their heads.

"Um, Stellard? Ever heard of him?" The revolutionary was getting desperate now, hoping he wouldn't have to scale the whole world looking for the four others. Sabo was again denied and he hung his head in defeat, internally pleading that the next name would be recognized.

"And Trafalgar Law? Have you heard of him?"

The three boys shot each other quick glances, causing Sabo to dismay for a moment before they answered.

"Father sure does have guts for saying the king's name like that!" One of the boys stated. The blonde stared at the kid

"King?" He asked hesitantly, wanting to make sure he heard that right.

"Well duh!"

"Are you feeling alright, Father?"

Sabo shook himself from his surprise.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Listen, could you point me in his direction? If you do then I'll tell you as many stories as you want when I return."

~0~

Law slouched in his throne, nonchalantly throwing his legs over one of the armrests as he leaned against the opposite one.

"You're an asshole, you know that right?" Ace stated as he slumped against the other throne with a bowl of fresh fruit in his lap, ignoring the legs that were draped partially onto his side.

"So I've been told." The pirate replied while boredly inspecting his fingernails. Ace popped a grape into his mouth while rolling his eyes.

"Apparently not enough." The division commander said.

"At least I got the circus performers to go look for the three other people in our group." The doctor responded with a grin before propping open his mouth. Ace flicked a grape to the captain, successfully landing it in the other's mouth.

"Yeah, after waiting your sweet-ass time for a good fifteen minutes and making me dance alongside those clowns." Fire Fist retorted bitterly, flicking another grape and aiming for the other pirate's eye. Law caught it before the little fruit could hit him though, popping it into his mouth with a sadistic chuckle.

"I'll have to admit that you're much more coordinated than I originally gave you credit for." The man stated. "Keep it up and I might even consider paying for your ballet classes."

Ace threw an apple at the captain as Law chuckled at his own joke. The doctor caught the fruit easily but didn't expect the mango that came after. Law quickly grabbed hold of it before the thing could leave him with a black eye but was caught off guard once again when a third piece of fruit was thrown at him. A grape bounced off of the pirate's forehead, causing Ace to laugh out loud while Law frowned at him. As Trafalgar was considering retaliating with his Devil Fruit powers a knock came at the large doors that lead to the throne room.

A pause filled the silence before the enormous entrance was slowly pulled opened enough for people to file in one at a time. Obviously his men couldn't distinguish the real Luffy, Sabo and Stellard their king had asked for so they must have gone around the city and looked for anyone with the matching name or visage.

About twenty men walked in, vaguely matching any portrayal and the two sitting in the thrones could only recognize one of them.

Both Law and Ace groaned at who was standing in the crowd and the doctor regretted having ever mentioned the carrot top to any of his subjects.

"Thank God you're here!" Stellard called out as he nearly burst into tears before running straight for the two pirates. But just as he took a few steps, three of the guards tackled the nobility to the ground, successfully stopping his advances. Law sighed, extremely tempted to tell the ones detaining Stellard to just execute the guy, saying something about how the other was threatening his life or some bullshit excuse like that. The thought brought a sinister smile to his face as the doctor stood up. Unfortunately though, he remembered Sabo actually cared somewhat for the nobleman meaning he couldn't wipe the annoying man's existence off of the map yet.

"Leave him be, that one's just a harmless idiot." The captain stated as he stopped in front of his soldiers. The men stood up with Stellard in their grasp and Law had to motion for them to step away and escort the other people out of the door.

The doctor immediately regretted his actions though when the nobility clamped his arms firmly around the pirate's waist.

"I was so scared!" Stellard cried out in hysterics. "I was living in a shack with a bunch of filthy men! I was forced to work backbreaking work in the fields like some sort of animal!" The nobility called as he sobbed into Trafalgar's expensive shirt. The captain stood petrified out of rage, having to hold himself back from tearing the other man's stomach out through his esophagus as he continued to cling like a leech. Ace came up beside the two and managed to pry the nobleman from the pirate and Law saw this as his chance to teach the other a lesson.

The doctor snapped and slammed one of his fists right into Stellard's abdomen, cutting off any bitching whine the other felt he had to articulate before it left his mouth. The nobility fell to his knees, wheezing as he tried to fill his lungs with air once more.

"Touch me one more time, Twitchy. I fucking dare you." Trafalgar bit out through his clenched teeth. Stellard didn't reply and Law just sauntered back to his throne. But before he had a chance sit back down, shouts came from outside the door. The two pirates glanced up, noticing that the voices were becoming louder as time wore on.

Suddenly, two slashes were made from the floor and slanting upwards until they intersected at a point, successfully making a triangle large enough for someone to walk through in the door.

Ace and Law only needed one guess at who it was and weren't surprised when Sabo came crashing through the entrance.

Louder shouts called from the other side of the door as the guards began forcing the large thing open as fast as possible. The revolutionary spun on his heal, apparently not even noticing his three brothers staring straight at him as he held up the two swords in his hands.

The two pirates gave each other a quick glance before stepping over to the blonde.

The doors were finally pulled open enough to reveal the soldiers as they charged through, weapons drawn and expressions murderous. That is, until they came face to face with their king who had an arm lazily draped over the intruder's shoulders.

"My sincerest appreciation, gentlemen. Thank you for bringing this man safely to my home. That'll be all."

Sabo stared in disbelief as he finally took notice to the pirate captain. The soldiers hesitated for a moment, obviously wanting to warn their leader that this man was a dangerous threat until they remembered the events that had taken place not even an hour ago when Trafalgar had forcefully dismissed all of the performers except the man now standing next to the blonde clergyman. The guards quickly left without a word after a genuine smile laced with malice tugged at the corners of their king's lips.

Law removed his arm from Sabo's shoulder and turned to find Ace giving him a quizzical look.

"How do you sleep at night?" The division commander asked, obviously wondering about the pirate's cruel and vindictive threats underlying practically all of his actions. The doctor scoffed and tapped the soft spot of skin just under his eye, pointing to his dark circles.

"I don't"

~0~

Luffy sat up and stretched, yawning heavily as he woke up from his nap. The pirate glanced around, suddenly recalling that he, Ace, Law, Sabo and Twitchy had jumped through a door and apparently landed in some new place. The pirate stood from where he'd been passed out, scanning the area as he tried to discern where he was. The Straw Hat captain made a face of confusion, wondering why he kept hearing metal clanging together until he look down. Luffy's eyes gleamed with excitement when he got a load of the armor plating covering his chest, shoulders, arms and upper legs.

"You know, Luffy, if Roger finds you lying down on the job again he's going to beat the crap out of you like last time." A familiar voice called from off to the pirate's side. The captain turned his attention to the person addressing him and was happily shocked at what he saw.

"Zoro!" Luffy joyfully stated as he dashed over to his first mate. The swordsman also donned similar armor along with his three swords but the scar on his eye was gone while his hair was still somewhat long. "Why are you here, Zoro?" The captain asked as he continued glancing around. "And where is here…?"

The green haired man gave the pirate a questioning glance, wondering if the other had finally truly lost his mind.

Just as Luffy was about to dash around the oversized room he was in and investigate the place, heavy boot fall came from one of the corridors.

"Boys! Today is the day!" A booming voice called out before the man it belonged to finally came into the room. When he stepped through the threshold with a beaming grin and authoritative stance, Luffy's eyes nearly popped out of his skull.

"Gol D. Roger? !" The captain exclaimed before he sprinted over to the man and began circling around him as if inspecting the Pirate King to determine whether or not he was the real deal.

"Your enthusiasm is always much appreciated, Straw Hat." The man stated with a chuckle. He placed one of his large hands on the back of the pirate captain's neck and led him over to where Zoro was standing before clapping the other man on the shoulder.

"Luffy, Zoro; today is the day we storm the Hearts Kingdom and defeat the tyrant ruler himself." Roger declared. "We'll fight our way into the palace and take what rightfully belongs to the people! Death to Trafalgar Law!"

~0~

AN: dun dun DUN! ! well, this is definitely the strangest thing i've ever written xD the brothers are stuck in another world? ! the strange heating and cooling sensations between Law and Luffy are no longer felt? ! Gol D. Roger is on a hunt with Law at the top of his list? ! stay tuned for the next exciting chapter!


	7. The Real Trafalgar Law

Law balanced his chin on his fist while his elbow was propped on the large dining table in front of him. The doctor was sitting at the head with Sabo and Ace on either side of him while Stellard sat next to the blonde. Between the four of them was a feast made for twenty and nearly three quarters of it was already gone. Trafalgar ignored the other pirate and the revolutionary scarfing down as much food as they could fit in their mouths, instead focusing on how they could get the fifth member of their group back and then how they could get out of here.

"You two are utterly repulsive." The nobility stated as he gave the two a disgusted look. Ace and Sabo didn't even bother paying the other any mind though and continued with their meals.

Footsteps and clanking metal suddenly came into the room and the doctor glanced up, recognizing the approaching man as Marco the Phoenix. Apparently in this world the Whitebeard pirates' first division commander was his most trusted knight which was a welcomed surprise. Ace had been the first to recognize the other and nearly tackled the blonde in his excitement only to be stopped when Marco restrained the pirate's hands behind his back while wrapping an arm around Portgas' neck.

According to Ace, though, it wasn't much of a change from their antics while still serving under Whitebeard.

"King Trafalgar, sir." Marco bowed politely before continuing. "My men and I have scoured the kingdom again but haven't found anyone by the name of Monkey D. Luffy in this vicinity."

Law grumbled something under his breath about pesky, annoying little brothers before replying.

"What about outside of the kingdom?" The doctor asked, idly stabbing at a few pieces of cooked broccoli on his plate with his fork. The knight paused in thought for a moment before a light bulb suddenly went off in his mind.

"Well, there is one man." Marco stated in a troubled tone. Law and Sabo glanced up at the knight, waiting for him to continue. "But sir, I'm sure he's not the one you're looking for. This man serves under the ranks of our greatest enemy as his right hand man." The blonde haired man said cautiously.

"Is that so?" The captain replied curiously. "Can you tell me what he's like?"

The knight blinked a few times at the request before searching his thoughts.

"The stories say he is a bloodthirsty man, constantly out for chaos and carnage. He's a fighter and always defeats his enemies despite his diminutive size." Marco listed off, glancing down and noticing his king's growing frown.

"Does he happen to wear a straw hat?" Law asked, squashing the vegetables on his plate with his fork from agitation.

"Um, yes. I do believe so." The knight answered, not entirely sure why the man would want to know. Ace, Sabo and Law glanced between each other before shaking their heads in irritation at their youngest brother's gift for getting himself into the worst situations possible.

"_That's Luffy_." All three cantankerously replied in unison.

~0~

"We're really on our way to go see Torao?" The pirate captain anxiously asked, hardly able to keep himself still in his seat. A deep laugh came from the man sitting across from him while Zoro just continued to snooze. Gold Roger along with his two most trusted subordinates were occupying a horse drawn carriage as they made their way across the land to the Hearts Kingdom. Luffy seemed to have completely ignored the current objective Roger was aiming for, forgetting about how the man was on his way to take Trafalgar Law's head.

"You always have the strangest ways of referring to people!" The man stated as he continued to chuckle. The pirate grinned happily before glancing around in order to find something that would entertain himself since apparently they still had a long journey ahead. The captain turned his attention and noticed something just outside of his window.

Luffy scooted himself until he was at the door of the carriage and looked out, gaping at the vast amount of people currently tagging along behind them. There must have been hundreds of men riding atop horses and all of them were wearing armor as if ready to go into battle. The captain turned his attention back to the man in front of him.

"There sure are a lot of people out there. Are they coming with us too?" He asked, wondering if there was going to be some sort of feast when he met up with his brother. Roger chuckled a moment to himself.

"Of course. After all, the three of us wouldn't be able to break into the Hearts Kingdom on our own so we need help from the rest of our army." The king stated with a determined grin on his features. Luffy stared at him, contemplating what he was told for a moment before striking the side of his fist into his open palm.

"Oh! That makes sense then!" The captain announced, regardless of the fact that he was still blissfully unaware of the most important details of this quest. "But this sure it a weird place if we have to break into it in order to throw a feast."

Roger's laugh resounded through the carriage once again from what Luffy had said.

"You really know how to crack me up!"

~0~

Trafalgar Law dismissed Marco from the dining hall before shutting his eyes tightly and pinching the bridge of his nose out of irritation. If there was one person the doctor could pick on this entire planet who knew how to give him a throbbing headache it was his buffoon of a brother.

"You know what I've noticed?"

The pirate captain glanced up when Ace began speaking, giving the other nothing else as a cue that he was listening. The division commander finished whatever was in his mouth before speaking again.

"Everybody in this place seems to be someone that at least one of us recognizes." The pirate stated, stabbing another piece of meat with his fork. Sabo and Stellard paused in their meals and the four glanced between each other.

"I mean, I guess you're right." The revolutionary replied when he remembered seeing a few familiar faces on his way to find his brothers. Law silently agreed with the others and picked up the goblet of wine in front of him, hoping the alcohol would do something to relieve the throbbing in his head from this whole ordeal.

"I thought it was just a coincidence at first until I saw my mother sitting in the throne next to Law." Ace absentmindedly stated.

Law choked on his drink, coughing heavily as he tried to reel himself in after hearing the unanticipated proclamation from the division commander. The memory of the strawberry-blonde woman kissing him came to mind and the doctor had to quickly push the thought away before his cheeks could flush to an even deeper red.

The three others stared at him in wonderment until the doctor waved away their attention, signaling that he was perfectly fine.

_There's another secret I'm taking with me to the grave._ Law contemplated bitterly as he resolved to never speak of the incident to anyone. But as the pirate captain thought this situation couldn't get much worse, his poor luck seemed to intensify.

"Now presenting Lady Trafalgar." A guard announced from the doorway, causing Law to nearly have another choking fit as he was about to take a sip of wine. Ace, Sabo and Stellard glanced around the doctor's chair, searching for the mentioned woman before jumping to their feet.

Law felt like he could smack each one of them over their heads but controlled himself as he downed the rest of his drink and reached for Ace's.

"Gentlemen." A soft and elegant voice called from behind the pirate's chair and Law found himself getting up from his seat as well. The woman strolled around to stand between the doctor and the division commander, smiling up at her husband as she raised a hand to brush her fingers against his cheek. But before she had a chance to make contact, Law took hold of her hand with both of his and lowered it between them. The doctor slapped a cool façade to his features as he began shaking the woman's hand up and down.

"A pleasure to have you… dear." The captain stated before motioning for Ace to show the lady to her seat. Portgas D. Rouge quirked a smile but accepted the gesture without question and sat down in the chair the division commander had been seated in when he pulled it out.

"I figured with all of the fuss over these new guests I might as well join you to learn a little more about them." She declared as a servant replaced her dishes and silverware. Law grinned tersely at the comment before taking another drink along with one more for the hell of it.

"That's very understandable, sweet heart. In fact, I was just about to send for you so I could tell you something I've been meaning to get off of my chest since the festivities." The man stated evenly, also noticing how Ace couldn't seem to stop staring at the woman with a twinkle in his eye. The doctor thought over his decision before coming to the conclusion that it was better to say what was on his mind now than having to try fitting it casually into a conversation later if the occasion actually called for it. Just as Law was about to continue, someone else entered the room.

"My lord!"

The captain turned his attention to find a frenzied Marco standing off to his side, panting as if he'd just run through the palace like his life had depended on it. The leading knight then seemed to notice the company his king had and grimaced before bending down to whisper something in the doctor's ear. Law's expression was neutral for a moment but quickly fell to one of disbelief and bewilderment as time progressed. When Marco was finished he bowed and left, dashing through the corridors.

Ace and Sabo gave the man a questioning glance as Law raised the goblet to his lips once more only to find that it was empty.

"What was that about?" The revolutionary asked, frowning a bit when the doctor reached for his glass. Law threw back the rest of the drink and turned his attention to Ace.

"It seems there's no need for us to go looking for Luffy." The captain announced, setting the goblet down. "He's on his way here right now."

Ace and Sabo's expressions lit up, but before they could say anything Law held up a hand and continued.

"Unfortunately, he also has some accompaniment as well and one of them just happens to be Gol D. Roger."

Silence fell over the room and the doctor watched Fire Fist closely, waiting for what the other was about to do.

"Gold Roger's on his way?" Sabo asked, trying to wrap his mind around the situation.

"Yes. Along with a garrison heading here to storm the palace. Apparently I'm not known throughout this nation for being the most generous of kings." Trafalgar stated, glancing briefly over at the blonde. Ace suddenly stood up and began leaving the table, walking purposefully towards the exit. Law quickly stood from his seat as well and grabbed the other pirate's arm.

"Where do you think you're going?" The doctor asked as he stopped the division commander from leaving.

"Where do you think? Now let me go." Ace replied, trying to shake off the other man which only caused the captain to tighten his grip.

"We can't just dive into this head first without a plan you idiot. So sit back down before you do something you'll regret."

Portgas scoffed and thrust his arm out of the doctor's grasp. "Something I'll regret? I've been waiting practically my whole life for a chance to give my old man a good knock in the skull and with him coming here and threatening you that just gives me another reason to do it!"

Ace turned on his heel and marched out of the dining hall as Law just stood there grumbling over the man's stubbornness. The doctor heard another chair being pushed from the table and glanced over his shoulder just as Sabo went running after his brother. The pirate captain shook his head and resumed his seat, scrubbing his face with one of his hands as he tried to formulate a plan that would quickly end this whole ordeal. When he opened his eyes he was met with a concerned look from Rouge as she reached over and gently took one of his hands in hers.

"Everything will be alright, dear." The woman stated with a hopeful smile. The pirate captain raised an eyebrow at the comment.

"I need to talk to you about that."

~0~

"What are you hoping to accomplish?" Sabo demanded as he and his brother went jogging down the hallway. Ace grinned at the question, rounding a corner and heading for a specific room.

"Well we can't just leave Luffy in the hands of that bastard." The division commander stated as he began counting down room numbers. "And, unfortunately, he's really strong so it's not just a threat against Law's life; it's a promise." Ace began reducing his speed until he stopped in front of a door, grinning in anticipation. "I don't know about you, but I'm tired of losing my brothers."

"And what are you going to do about it?" The revolutionary asked. The division commander snickered before thrusting open the door and revealing a heavily stocked armory filled with all sorts of weapons. Sabo remembered seeing it on their way to the dining hall but gave his brother a questioning glance.

"We're going to fight of course!"

~0~

Rouge gave the man in front of her a mystified stare while he just returned it with a calculating look.

"My king, I think you may have had a little too much to drink." The woman stated as she reached for his hand once again. Law pulled it away before she had a chance to grab it, huffing a breath of irritation.

"I am not a king, nor am I specifically your king." He replied peevishly, not entirely happy that he had to repeat himself. Rouge looked up at him with a heart wrenching gaze, causing the pirate to cringe as he cursed himself for being so blunt.

"Have I displeased you in some way?" The woman asked as her large eyes shimmered in disbelief. "I know our intercourse has been subtle at best but I always thought it was you waiting for the opportune…"

"Stop!" Law quickly interjected, turning away in hopes to calm his reddening cheeks. As he looked for something else to focus on in the room, the doctor locked eye contact with Stellard who looked as if he was about ready to explode from holding back his laughter. Trafalgar fixed him with a malevolent glare that quickly silenced the nobleman before he turned back to his current predicament.

"Listen; there may be some Trafalgar Law here that did take the throne and marry you, but that's not me." The pirate stated in a reassuring tone. "I know it's hard to believe, but Ace, Sabo, Luffy and I along with the dumbass over there-"

"Hey!"

"We aren't from around here. In fact, I'm not sure we're even from this dimension." The doctor continued as he tried his best to argue his point and keep from being more of a jerk than he already was.

Rouge didn't really understand, but the more she thought about it, the more it began to make sense. Ever since the festivities some few hours ago something had been off about her husband. Usually he was a brash and outspoken man who drank until he blacked out and partied like it was his last day on Earth. This man in front of her was much more reserved and caring and didn't treat her like some sort of object like her husband normally did. The woman decided to go along with what Law was saying for the time being, sending him a glowing smile that seemed to put the other at ease.

"Now that you mention it, you really haven't been yourself recently." Rouge stated while she lifted a hand and tenderly ran her thumb along the doctor's cheekbone as if testing to see if he was actually real. Law gently caught her hand in his and lowered it once more, setting it lightly on the table.

"Yes, well, right now I need a few answers about this world's Trafalgar Law." The pirate announced before snapping a few times at Stellard and motioning for the nobility to hand over his wine goblet. Rouge perked up and gave him a look that said she was ready to answer the best she could.

"First," Law started, taking a sip of the drink. "What are the reasons Gol D. Roger is after my head right now?"

Rouge hardly needed a moment to think before replying.

"Well, a big reason would be when you defeated him in battle and toppled his regime." The light haired woman replied, taking a moment to pause and seeing if she had crossed a line she wasn't supposed to. When Law only continued to give her a calculating stare as if waiting for her to go on, she did. "Also, when you captured eight of his ten highest ranking officers and forced them to either work as your guards or become circus clowns for your enjoyment."

Trafalgar cocked an eyebrow out of amusement at that, understanding now why the powerful Portgas D. Ace was only a fire dancing performer in this world. A moment of silence passed between the three of them and Law wondered if the woman had finished her explanations. But just as he was about to ask, Rouge turned away with a hint of a blush reddening her freckled cheeks.

"There's one more main reason." She stated in a softer tone, quickly brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "Roger and I… well, he and I were scheduled to be married. That is, until you showed up and removed him from power."

Law stared incredulity at her for a moment before heavily sighing from the constant bad news.

"Of course I did." The pirate muttered irritably as he stood up. Rouge glanced up at him in confusion, a bit worried she'd said something wrong until he offered his hand to her with a light smile adorning his features.

"Well then, m'lady, I shall need your assistance in the upcoming battle." The pirate stated formally as he waited for her to accept. A flustered expression came to the woman's expression as she hesitated from the request.

"My help? But what can I possibly do?" She questioned skeptically to the other.

"With you at my side I might be able to prevent the war between the Hearts Kingdom and Gold Roger from ever happening. What do you say?"

Rouge blushed at his statement but smiled determinedly, taking his offered hand with hers and standing up. Law then headed for the door before calling something over his shoulder.

"Come on, Twitchy. There's work to be done."

~0~

"You mean Torao really did all that? !" The pirate captain asked hysterically, staring at the man in front of him incredulously. Roger only nodded his head, a dark expression coming over his features.

"Some months ago that little punk thought it would be wise to make a fool out of me." The king stated ominously, clenching his fists from the memory and cracking a few of his knuckles. "Today he'll learn a thing or two about destroying my life's ambitions and humiliating my comrades."

Luffy blinked a few times in surprise, astonished that his older brother could ever do the awful deeds he was being accused of. Of course, the pirate was completely mislead and hadn't realized that it wasn't _actually_ the Law he was thinking of who did all of those terrible things.

"Wow." The captain mused as he tried to soak in all of the information he'd been told. "I didn't even know Torao liked girls that way!"

Gold Roger didn't reply as he glanced out the carriage window, noticing a few familiar landmarks and grinning to himself in anticipation.

"It looks like we've almost arrived." The king said to nothing in particular, going over in his mind again all of the possible ways he could take back his kingdom.


End file.
